Dartford FC set to open transfer talks with play-offs the minimum target next season

Transfer talks are imminent at Dartford as joint-bosses Adam Flanagan and Jamie Coyle look to get their business done early.

Player meetings could happen as early as this week with Darts having missed out on the National League South play-offs.

Flanagan is confident they will deliver a better return in 2019/20 – but recruitment will be the key.

Dartford joint-manager Adam Flanagan Picture: Andy Jones

Speaking after their final game of the season at Oxford City, he said: “We were late to the market last year and this season, we can do things sooner.

“There’s players we’ve already earmarked and they’re potentially going to be coming in next week or the week after and then comes the process of putting a team together that maybe resembles myself and Jamie a little bit more.

“Maybe targeted around younger, hungrier players who want to progress in their football and we can all progress together as a squad and a club.

“We’re going to try to bring players to the club where the club means a lot to them, so they’re maybe more local so there’s more of a feeling. But Kent’s going to be a very competitive market and we’ve got to make sure we represent Dartford really well and bring the right players in.”

Flanagan and Coyle both won promotion at Princes Park under Tony Burman.

“I felt really excited to be back and we were desperate to continue the success we had as players, but that hasn’t happened,” said Flanagan.

“It’s been a difficult year. Tony’s been there and while that’s been great and he’s supported us, when you’ve got the most successful manager the club’s ever had around things, sometimes, as an ex-player of his, you just want to do well for him. When we haven’t, we’ve felt like we’ve let him down a little bit, which is not what we want.

“But we feel really positive for next season. Expectations will be high and we need to deliver and get this club in the play-offs as a minimum.”